Radius chain modular conveyors include single modules of a specific width connected in one single longitudinal line and capable of flexing laterally and bending around a curve either to both sides or to one side only. The design of such a conveyor presents a number of engineering challenges. Providing such a conveyor with the capability of transporting delicate and very small articles can add to the challenges.
Examples of modular conveyors operable along curved paths are found in the following United States patents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,439 disclosed a conveyor having a high percentage of open area and link element clearances for cleanability and flow-through and for maximizing collapsed link clearances during turning on curves to prevent build-up of foreign material on the conveyor modules. U.S. Pat. No. 5,346,059 is directed to a conveyor belt operable on short radius turns wherein the belt is either of the right turn or left turn type. A right turn belt must be physically inverted to operate as a left turn belt and vice-versa. The conveyor as shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,379 includes structure for traveling around a curve in one direction only, i.e. not in both left and right directions. In the conveyor of U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,001 transmission of the tension or load is due to abutting and interlocking engagement between structures on the modules and independently of receipt of hinge pins in the modules. U.S. Pat. No. 6,382,405 discloses a conveyor for traversing curves, but because of openings defined by a module deck structure and gaps between adjacent modules, the patent indicates that small objects are not carried on the conveyor belt.
While the foregoing approaches have offered some improvements for use in radius chain modular conveyors, there remains a definite need to provide a radius chain modular conveyor and method of operating the same for traveling along curved paths in both left and right directions and capable of carrying very small and delicate articles.